What I’m planting now, and why
Rain in Los Angeles – can you believe it? Looking to the upbeat, hopeful, future-oriented news, here’s what I’m planting now, and planning for the summer. This past week, the rush on supermarkets was absolutely crazy. At this point, even…
Seedling Care
Where do you get the best vegetable starts? I hear that question often. The ultimate is to start your own babies from seeds. When you start from seeds, you gain access to the huge selection of scrumptious heirloom vegetables (drool…
Resources for my Soil Building class
When we pull harvest from the garden, week after week, we are taking from the garden ecosystem. We are taking from the soil. Here in Southern California, where we can harvest year-round (with a seasonally-appropriate crop mix), that means we…
Resources for my Permaculture Observation class
Permaculture is a design system that begins with “what is” and launches from that starting point into “what will become.” Rather than making a strict decision about the final outcome from the very start, the designer begins with what is…
Manufacture microclimes
One of the big advantages of container gardening is that you have so much ability to adjust the immediate local “climate” your plants are growing in. If a plant is baking in too much sun, you can pick up the…
Help in planning your Cool Season Garden
Resources from my talk at the Seed Library of Los Angeles: VegGardens365 app Vegetable Crop Rotation Wheel Why rotate your crops? The Legume family Crop rotations in Southern California – when to change seasons The Secrets of Soil Building John…
Organic pest control
Bugs in your garden are an indicator, not a “problem” to be fixed. They’re an indicator of an imbalance in your overall garden system. It’s kind of like the indicator light on the dashboard of your car — when the…
Which milkweed should I plant in Southern California?
I’ve caught the milkweed bug. It all started with an accidental visit to a City of Santa Monica building near Santa Monica airport. They had planted milkweed outside the building, 18+ plants by my count, and there were TONS of…
About Mycorrhizal fungus
I’ve been reading more about mycorrhizal fungus and how incredibly beneficial it is to our gardens — indeed to our long-term future. If you don’t know much about this beneficial soil organism, grab a copy of Lowenfels and Lewis’ Teaming…
Resources for my talk at the National Heirloom Festival
Here are some links and resources to accompany my talk at the National Heirloom Festival: Link to my VegGarden365 garden planning app (Free!) Link to my Abundant Harvests garden booklets Link to my Vegetable Crop Rotation Wheel garden planning tool
